Pope Shenouda III (born Nazir Gayed Roufail; 3 August 1923 – 17 March 2012) was the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. His papacy lasted 40 years, 4 months, and 4 days, from 14 November 1971 until his death in 2012.
His official title was Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic Throne of Saint Mark the Evangelist, Father of fathers, Shepherd of shepherds, Successor of Saint Mark, thirteenth among the Apostles, Ecumenical Judge, Beloved of Christ. He was also the head of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He was known as a conservative figure within the church, and was respected within the Muslim community.
He became a monk in 1954 under the name Father Antonios after joining the Syrian Monastery in Wadi El-Natrun. In 1958, he was elevated to the priesthood. In 1962, Pope Cyril VI summoned Fr. Antonios and consecrated him General Bishop for Christian Education and as Dean of the Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary, whereupon he assumed the papal name Shenouda, which was the name of the Coptic saint Shenoute the Archimandrite, as well as two previous popes: Shenouda I and Shenouda II.
Following the death of Pope Cyril VI on 9 March 1971, the selection process resulted in Bishop Shenouda becoming the new Pope. He was consecrated on 14 November 1971. During his papacy, the Coptic Orthodox Church grew significantly outside of Egypt. He appointed the first bishops for North American dioceses, which now contain more than 250 parishes, up from four in 1971. He also appointed the first Coptic bishops in Europe, Australia and South America. Within Egypt, he struggled for the welfare of his people and the church. Pope Shenouda III was known for his commitment to ecumenism and advocated inter-denominational Christian dialogue.
Shenouda III was born as Nazir Gayed Roufail in the village of Salaam, which administratively belongs to the Governorate of Asyut in Upper Egypt but ecclesiastically belongs to the Diocese of Manfalut. He was the youngest of a family of eight children, five girls and three boys. Among his siblings were Raphael (Rouphael) and Shawki (Fr. Botros Gayed, 1918–1996). Roufail's mother died shortly after his birth. He was raised by his older brother, Raphael, in Damanhur in lower Egypt, where he attended a Coptic elementary school. Soon after, he studied at the American Middle School in Banha. He then moved to Shubra, a suburb of Cairo, where he enrolled at the Faith Senior Secondary.
From the age of 14, Roufail began reading poetry and he wrote many poems himself, especially between 1946 and 1962. By the age of 16, he was active in the Coptic Sunday School movement. He served as a Sunday school teacher, first at Saint Anthony's Church in Shoubra and then at Saint Mary's Church in Mahmasha.
In 1943, Roufail enrolled in Cairo University (then called the University of King Fouad I) studying towards a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in English and History. Meanwhile, he spent his summer vacations at the monastery of Saint Mary El-Sourian, also called the Syrian Monastery, in Wadi El-Natrun. While a university student, he was a trainee in the Egyptian Military Reserve Corps.
In 1946, while still in his final year of undergraduate studies, he was allowed to enroll in the evening classes at the Coptic Theological Seminary. The seminary was usually open only to university graduates, but the dean of the Seminary, Archdeacon Habib Girgis, made an exception in the case of Roufail. The personality of Habib Girgis was instrumental in shaping that of the future pope, and Pope Shenouda always spoke highly of Habib Girgis.
Roufail graduated from Cairo University with a BA in history in 1947. After graduation, he completed his military service, and began work as a teacher of English, history, and social sciences in a high school in Cairo. Meanwhile, he attended graduate courses in archaeology and classics at Cairo University, specializing in the History of Ancient Egypt and Islamic Egypt. He worked as a high school teacher by day, and attended classes at the Coptic Theological Seminary by night. Upon graduation from the seminary in 1949, he was appointed to teach New Testament and Old Testament Studies at the Seminary.. In the same year, he became the editor-in-chief of the Sunday School Monthly Magazine. In 1950, Roufail resigned from secular employment to take up a full-time lecturing position at the seminary.
In 1952 he was elected a member of the Egyptian Journal Syndicate. In 1953, he was appointed a lecturer at the Monastic College in Helwan, offering courses in theology there. In the same year, he began his dialogue with Jehovah's Witnesses, writing articles about their beliefs in the Sunday School Magazine.
Nazir with others laboured for several years to establish a strong Sunday school and youth group at St Anthony's Church in Shubra. His ministry produced many devoted servants, who began establishing youth groups in neighbouring parishes.
An avid reader, he was a keen student of languages. He spoke fluent Arabic (Standard, Egyptian and Sa'idi variants), English, French, and Amharic. He could read Greek (ancient and modern) and Latin as well.
Monastic life and educational service
On 18 July 1954, Roufail joined the Monastery of Saint Mary El-Souriani (commonly called the Syrian Monastery) in Wadi El-Natrun in the Nitrian Desert. He was given the name of Father Antonios el-Syriani (Anthony the Syrian). From 1956 to 1962, he lived as a hermit in a cave about seven miles from the monastery, dedicating his time to meditation, prayer, and asceticism. His austerity was known to be exceptional even by monastic standards.
On 31 August 1958, he was ordained as a priest by Bishop Theophilus, then abbot of the Syrian Monastery.
Antonios el-Syriani was among the candidates nominated for the papal throne in 1959, but Father Mina el-Baramosy became Pope Cyril VI.
On 30 September 1962, Pope Cyril VI appointed him, by force and surprise, to the bishopric of Christian Education and as Dean of the Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary. Cyril VI also renamed him Shenouda, in honour of Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite, a famous scholar and writer of the Coptic language.
Under Bishop Shenouda's leadership, the number of students at the Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary tripled. Bishop Shenouda was suspended in 1966 by Pope Cyril VI, essentially because of "campaigns for change" instigated by Shenouda and his students. These campaigns, among other things, called for the popular election of bishops and priests, a principle that Bishop Shenouda later applied when he became Pope of Alexandria. This conflict between Pope Cyril VI and Bishop Shenouda was later resolved.